Driver sentenced for hitting pedestrians in Everett

EVERETT — About a dozen people raised their hands Monday, showing their support for a Marysville mother headed to prison.

Kelly Oliver was high and drunk last year when she plowed into a man and three children on an Everett sidewalk. The victims suffered broken bones, cuts and bruises. The outcome easily could have been worse.

Since the crash Oliver has been getting help for a drug and alcohol problem. She also is seeing a mental health professional, a judge was told on Monday.

“She has been willing and ready to take responsibility for what happened from the get go,” her attorney said.

Superior Court Judge Bruce Weiss sentenced Oliver to one year and a month in prison, nearly the maximum under the law. She pleaded guilty last month to two counts of vehicular assault.

The judge said he was encouraged that Oliver has so much support, but warned the woman to be vigilant every day to prevent relapse.

“I understand what you are struggling with,” Weiss said. “You are going to have to work hard.”

Oliver apologized to the victims, who were not present at Monday’s hearing.

“I’m trying to make sure this never happens again,” Oliver said.

Oliver was driving north on Broadway on July 24, 2012, when her car jumped the curb. She swerved back onto the road and then drove up onto the sidewalk again. Her car hit four pedestrians.

A man was walking north with his 16-year-old son and his young niece and nephew. He saw Oliver’s car coming and was able to push his niece and nephew out of the way. He hit the hood and slid under the car. His son was thrown over the roof of the car.

The man suffered a broken leg and the flesh on the other leg was filleted to the bone, requiring skin and muscle grafts. His son also suffered a broken leg that required surgery. His niece, 8, was diagnosed with a broken foot and needed stitches to close a wound on her scalp. Her brother, 2, also needed stitches for a cut to his head.

Oliver was not hurt.

She told police that she’d drank alcohol a couple of hours before the crash. Oliver also admitted to smoking methamphetamine within two days of the crash.

Tests showed that Oliver’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. She also tested positive for meth.